Management of Network Capacity to Mitigate Degradation of Network Services During Maintenance

ABSTRACT

In accordance with a method of managing network capacity, simulation data is received from a simulation system based on at least one metric associated with a plurality of communication links interconnecting at least two endpoints. The simulation data indicates impact of a communication link to be taken offline a plurality of alternate communication links. It is determined whether the simulation data associated with at least one communication link satisfies at least one predetermined criterion. Further, at least one metric of the simulation system is periodically updated based on real-time data associated with the plurality of communication links. The simulation data from the simulation system based on the updated at least one metric is received. Thereafter, load from the communication link to be taken offline is selectively moved to an alternate communication link based on whether the simulation data associated with the alternate communication link satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Technology

The present application relates generally to computer networks. Morespecifically, the present application is directed to management ofnetwork capacity to mitigate degradation of network services duringmaintenance.

2. Brief Description of Related Art

A network generally includes a plurality of network elements that areinterconnected by physical link segments forming one or more links tofacilitate transmission of data between endpoints via at least one ofthe links of the network.

Often, network operations personnel need to evaluate the impact ofcertain changes to the network before the network changes areimplemented in order to mitigate possible degradation of services viathe network. For example, there are times when one or more networkelements or physical link segments of a link require maintenance. Duringsuch maintenance, the link is taken offline and invariably reduces theavailable bandwidth between the endpoints to those online links thatinterconnect the endpoints.

A traffic outage simulator exists to help operations personnel inanalyzing the impact of taking a particular link between two endpointsoffline. While the traffic outage simulator forecasts the impact fromthe reduction of bandwidth as a result of the link being taken offline,the simulator does not account for the impact of real-time outages anddegradation of services on the remaining links.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an embodiment, a method of adaptively managingnetwork capacity is disclosed. In accordance with the method, simulationdata is received from a simulation system based at least one metricassociated with each of a plurality of communication linksinterconnecting at least two endpoints. The simulation data indicatesimpact of a communication link to be taken offline on the alternatecommunication links.

It is determined whether the simulation data associated with at leastone communication link satisfies at least one predetermined criterion.Further, at least one metric of the simulation system is periodicallyupdated based on real-time data associated with the plurality ofcommunication links. The simulation data from the simulation systembased on the updated at least one metric is received. Thereafter, loadfrom the communication link to be taken offline is selectively moved toan alternate communication link based on whether the simulation dataassociated with the alternate communication link satisfies the at leastone predetermined criterion.

In accordance with another embodiment, a system to adaptively managenetwork capacity is disclosed. The system includes a real-time outageupdate device and a route adjustment device. The real-time outage updatedevice is configured to receive simulation data from a simulation systembased on at least one metric associated with each of a plurality ofcommunication links interconnecting at least two endpoints. Thesimulation data indicates impact of a communication link to be takenoffline on the alternate communication links.

The real-time outage update device is also configured to determinewhether the simulation data associated with at least one communicationlink satisfies at least one predetermined criterion, and to periodicallyupdate the at least one metric of the simulation system based onreal-time data associated with the plurality of communication links. Thereal-time outage update device is further configured to receivesimulation data from the simulation system based on the updated at leastone metric. The route adjustment device is configured to selectivelymove load from the communication link to be taken offline to analternate communication link based on whether the simulation dataassociated with the alternate communication link satisfies the at leastone predetermined criterion.

In accordance with yet another embodiment, a machine-readable storagemedium is disclosed. The machine-readable storage medium includesoperational instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause theprocessor to receive simulation data from a simulation system based onat least one metric associated with each of a plurality of communicationlinks interconnecting at least two endpoints. The simulation dataindicates impact of a communication link to be taken offline on thealternate communication links. The machine-readable storage medium alsoincludes operational instructions that, when executed by a processor,cause the processor to determine whether the simulation data associatedwith at least one communication link satisfies at least onepredetermined criterion.

The machine-readable storage medium further includes operationalinstructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor toperiodically update the at least one metric of the simulation systembased on real-time data associated with the plurality of communicationlinks. Additionally, the machine-readable storage medium includesoperational instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause theprocessor to receive simulation data from the simulation system based onthe updated at least one metric. The machine-readable storage mediumfurther includes operational instructions that, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to selectively move load from thecommunication link to be taken offline to an alternate communicationlink based on whether the simulation data associated with the alternatecommunication link satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion.

These and other purposes, goals and advantages of the presentapplication will become apparent from the following detailed descriptionof example embodiments read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation inthe figures of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example adaptive systemconfigured to mitigate degradation of network services duringmaintenance of the transmission network requiring a communication linkto be taken offline;

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of an example method of managing networkcapacity adaptively to mitigate degradation of network services duringmaintenance of a transmission network in accordance with the adaptivesystem of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a general computer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An example system and method of managing network capacity in order tomitigate degradation of network services during maintenance aredisclosed herein. In the following description, for the purposes ofexplanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of example embodiments. It will be evident,however, to one skilled in the art, that an example embodiment may bepracticed without all of the disclosed specific details.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example adaptive system 100that is configured to mitigate degradation of network services duringmaintenance of the transmission network requiring a communication linkto be taken offline. The example system 100 includes a transmissionnetwork 102, endpoint A 104 and endpoint B 106, static simulation system134, real-time system 142, computing system 154, and network alarmsystem 156.

The transmission network 102 is configured to transmit telecommunicationcontent (e.g., video, audio and audiovisual content) associated withtelecommunication services (e.g., telephone, television and Internetservices, as well as, other electronic services) provided by atelecommunication provider (not shown). The telecommunication contentcan be distributed over the transmission network 102 via TransferControl Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), any combination ofconventional protocols or yet to be developed protocols.

The transmission network 102 can include one or more of a long haultransport network (e.g., a gigabit Ethernet network, an AsynchronousTransfer Mode (ATM) network, a frame relay network), a wireless network(e.g., a satellite network, a Wi-Fi network, LTE network, WiMAX network,or another wireless network), other public or private networks, or anycombination thereof. The foregoing is not exhaustive and alternate oradditional transmission networks can be employed in the transmissionnetwork 102.

The transmission network 102 includes a plurality of network elements110-112, 118-122, 126-132, which interconnect the endpoints 104, 106 andare configured to facilitate transmission of telecommunication contentbetween the endpoints 104, 106 via the transmission network 102. As anexample, the network elements 110, 112 form a first communication link108, network elements 118, 120, 122 form a second communication link116, and network element 126, 128, 130, 132 form a third communicationlink 124. The network elements can include physical devices, such asrouters, switches, bridges, hubs, and other physical devices, as wellas, logical entities that unite one or more physical devices, such as adatabase and/or a signaling system, which may be used to transmit androute the telecommunication content.

One or more of the communication links 108, 116, 124 can be a bordergateway protocol (BGP) route, interior gateway protocol (IGP) route,virtual private network (VPN) tunnel, or another link configured tofacilitate transmission of telecommunication content between theendpoints 104, 106. The number of network elements and links are shownas examples. Both the number of network elements 110-112, 118-122,126-132 and links 108, 116, 122 can vary based on design of the adaptivesystem 100. Further, one or more network elements of any link 108, 116,124 can be disposed on one or more networks of the transmission network102, as described above.

The endpoints 104, 106 are configured to at least transmit and receivetelecommunication content over the transmission network 102. Theendpoints 104, 106 can be further configured to display thetelecommunication content. The endpoints 104, 106 can also be configuredto raise alarms via the network alarm system 156 and further to provideperformance data associated with network traffic they receive to thestatic simulation system 134 and the real-time system 142. An endpointcan be a server, host, client, peer, gateway or other device configuredat least to transmit and receive telecommunication content over thetransmission network 102. Although endpoints 104, 106 are shown forclarity and brevity, the number of endpoints can vary based on design ofthe adaptive system 100.

The endpoints 104, 106 can be connected to the transmission network 102via fiber to the home (FTTH), fiber to the node (FTTN), telephone (e.g.,digital subscriber line (DSL)), coaxial cable, hybrid fiber/coaxial,wireless or any other combination thereof. The foregoing is notexhaustive and alternate or additional connections can be employed.

The static simulation system 134 is configured to determine a topologyof the transmission network 102 between endpoints 104, 106 and thecapacity of traffic that can be transmitted over that topology, andfurther configured to evaluate the impact of taking offline acommunication link between the endpoints 104, 106 (e.g., communicationlink 108) before the network changes are actually implemented in orderto mitigate possible degradation of services via the communicationnetwork 102. The communication link 108 can be taken offline to maintainone or more network elements 110, 122 or a link segment 114 of thecommunication link 108. The static simulation system 134 includes anetwork topology determination device 136, a network data collectordevice 138, and an outage simulator device 140.

The network topology determination device 136 is configured to determinethe topology of the transmission network 102 between endpoints 104, 106.More specifically, the network topology determination device 136 candetermine network element pairs, which make up each of the communicationlinks 108, 116, 124 interconnecting the endpoints 104, 106. For example,network topology determination device 136 can determine that the firstcommunication link 108 interconnecting endpoints 104, 106 includes onenetwork element pair 110-112; the second communication link 116interconnecting endpoints 104, 106 includes two network element pairs118-120 and 120-122; and the third communication link 124 includes threenetwork element pairs 126-128, 128-130 and 130-132. As stated earlier,the network element pairs are shows as an example. Depending on thedesign of the transmission network 102 design, different topologies canbe used.

The network traffic data collector device 138 is configured to collectstatic traffic data (e.g., load) associated with the communication links108, 116, 124 of the transmission network 102. The load represents aperiodic snapshot of the behavior associated with communication links108, 116, 124 using traffic data from the network element of therespective communication links 108, 116, 124, or a network elementmanagement system (not shown), which can be configured to manage thenetwork elements of the respective communication links 108, 116, 124.

More specifically, for a communication link 108, 116, 124, the trafficdata collector device 138 can collect aggregate bandwidth (e.g., amountof data in bits/second that can be transmitted via the communicationlink), aggregate latency (e.g., amount of time it takes a packet of datato travel between endpoints 104, 106 via the communication link), aswell one or more additional metrics across that communication link 108,116, 124. Other relevant aggregate metrics can be collected for acommunication link, such a packet loss, jitter, or other performancemetrics that may be available. For a network element pair of eachcommunication link 108, 116, 124, the traffic data collector device 138can further collect available bandwidth, latency, as well as well one ormore additional metrics across that network element pair. Other relevantmetrics can be collected for a network element pair, such a packet loss,jitter, or other performance metrics that may be available.

The outage simulator device 140 is configured to receive a communicationlink to be taken offline and to evaluate or simulate the impact thereofin the transmission network 102 before network changes are actuallyimplemented, in order to mitigate possible degradation of services viathe communication network 102. For example, the outage simulator device140 can receive an indication of a communication link (e.g.,communication link 108) to be taken offline from a computing system 154via the real-time outage update simulation device 148, which will bedescribed in greater detail below.

Using metrics (e.g., bandwidth, latency, as well as other metrics)collected by the network traffic data collection device 138 or themetrics updated by the real-time system 142, as will be described ingreater detail below, the outage simulator device 140 can evaluate orsimulate the impact of taking the received communication link (e.g.,communication link 108) offline and moving the load of thatcommunication link to an alternate communication link (e.g.,communication links 116 or 124). The outage simulator device 140provides an evaluation of how well traffic is flowing based on theperiod snapshot of traffic data. The evaluation produces a simulatedoutput for each communication link, including an aggregate bandwidth andlatency. The outage simulator device 140 transmits the simulated outputto the real-time system 142.

The real-time system 142 is configured to periodically collect real-timedata associated with communication links 108, 116, 122 of thetransmission network 102. The real-time system 142 is further configuredto update traffic data of communication links 108, 116, 124 collected bythe network traffic data collector device 138 in accordance with thecollected real-time data, and further to instruct the outage simulatordevice 140 to periodically re-evaluate the impact of takingcommunication link 108 offline based on the updated traffic data for thecommunication links 108, 116, 124, before actually taking acommunication link 108 offline. Based on the re-evaluation, thereal-time system 142 is further configured to adjust the transmission ofthe telecommunication content over the transmission network 102 based onthe re-evaluation (e.g., move load of communication link 108 tocommunication link 116 or 122) and/or to provide one or more actionrecommendations associated with the transmission of thetelecommunication content over the transmission network 102.

The real-time system 142 includes a network fault data collector device144, network performance determination device 146, real-time outageupdate device 148, route adjustment device 150 and action recommendationdevice 152.

The network fault data collector device 144 is configured to collectfault data associated with at least one alternate communication link116, 124 of the transmission network 102. For example, the network faultdata collector device 144 can receive one or more network alarms fromthe network alarm system 156. The network alarms can indicate thefailure of a communication link 116, 124 (e.g., fault data) associatedwith the transmission of telecommunication content over transmissionnetwork 102. For example, an alarm can indicate that the bandwidth orlatency associated with any network element of a communication link hasbecome critical. Additional alarms can indicate others failures of thecommunication links 116, 124.

The network performance determination device 146 is configured to checkthe health of the at least one alternate communication link 116, 124that can carry traffic when communication link 108 is taken offline. Thehealth check can include a current state of the network element pairs ofcommunication link 116 and network element pairs of communication link124. For example, the current state can include latency, packet loss,jitter and other metrics associated with the at least one alternatecommunication link 116, 124. The health check can also include adetermination of whether there is planned maintenance of a networkelement or link segment of the alternate communication link about whenthe communication link 108 is to be taken offline. This determinationcan indicate whether there will be connectivity between networkelements.

The real-time outage update device 148 is configured to receive anindication of a communication link to be taken offline (e.g.,communication link 108) via computing system 154 and further configuredto request the static simulation system 134 to generate a baselineevaluation of the impact of taking offline communication link 108between the endpoints 104, 106 before network changes are actuallyimplemented in order to mitigate possible degradation of services viathe communication network 102.

The real-time outage update device 148 is also configured toperiodically collect real-time data collected via network fault datacollector device 144 and network performance determination device 146and further to request the static simulation system 134 to generate anevaluation of the impact of taking offline communication link 108between the endpoints 104, 106 in accordance with the collectedreal-time data. The real-time outage update device 148 can adaptivelyadjust the periodic collection and re-evaluation. For example, real-timedata can be collected via real-time system 142 and impact of taking acommunication link offline evaluated via static simulation system 134 onthe basis of the real-time data at a first periodicity (e.g., weekly)when an interval from a current date/time to the planned date/time fortaking offline the communication link 108 is equal to a firstpredetermined interval of time (e.g., interval>=a week).

As another example, real-time data can be collected and evaluationperformed at a second periodicity (e.g., daily) when an interval from acurrent date/time to the planned date/time for taking offline thecommunication link 108 is equal to a second predetermined interval oftime (e.g., week>interval>=day). As a further example, real-time datacan be collected and evaluation performed at a third periodicity (e.g.,hourly or less frequently) when an interval from a current date/time tothe planned date/time for taking offline the communication link 108 isequal to a third predetermined interval of time (e.g.,day>interval>=hour). Other periodicities and predetermined intervals oftime can be defined for adaptive collection and re-evaluation. Theperiodicities and intervals of time can be provided via the computingsystem 154.

The real-time outage update device 148 is further configured to selectan alternate communication link e.g., communication links 116 or 124)based on a determination that simulation output returned from the staticsimulation system 134 for that communication link satisfies at least onepredetermined criterion, and to move the load of the communication link108 to be taken offline to the alternate selected communication link(e.g., communication links 116 or 124) via route adjustment device 150,and/or to provide at least one recommended action via actionrecommendation device 152.

For example, the real-time outage update device 148 can receivesimulation output from the static simulation system 134, and using datafrom the network fault data collector device 144 and the networkperformance determination device 146, can assemble instructions for thetransmission network 102 via route adjustment device 150 and actions forthe personnel via action recommendation device 152. The load ofcommunication link 108 can be taken offline by the user via computingsystem 154 by inputting that request, seeing the assessment of theimpact from the real-time system 142, and having the actionrecommendation device 152 update the network alarm system 156 with anindication that the load of communication link 108 may be taken offlineand that the resulting alarms should be so considered.

Thereafter, the network alarm system 156 can update endpoints 104, 106to increase the “cost” of the communication link 108. Increasing the“cost” of the communication link 108 to a level that makes it“unattractive” when compared to the cost of the alternate communicationlinks 116, 124 enables the load to be moved to the alternatecommunication link 116, 124 the cost of which is lower. Alternateprioritization mechanisms can be employed to determine the alternatecommunication link to which the load should be moved.

The route adjustment device 150 is configured to receive an instructionfrom the real-time outage update device 148—after collection, evaluationand determination described above—which instructs the route adjustmentdevice 150 to move load being transmitted over communication link 108being taken offline to an alternate link (e.g., communication links 116or 124). For example, specific paths or neighbors in the case of BGP orIGP routes, or VPN terminations in the case of VPN tunnels, can beupdated to reflect lower (or higher) priority in their respectiverouting tables.

The action recommendation device 152 is configured to provide at leastone recommended action via computing system 154 when at least onealternate communication link (e.g., communication links 116 or 124) doesnot satisfy at least one predetermined criterion. The possiblerecommended action can includes provision of more staff, raising analarm, escalating or shortening alarm severity via the network alarmsystem 156. The recommendations can indicate whether primary orsecondary communication link 116, 124 recommendations will meet the samequality of service (QoS) as communication link 108, and if not, canfurther indicate what might be the expected degradation of the QoS ofthe communication links 116, 124. Further, some prioritized escalationcan be recommended and invoked as a way to highlight a need to closelymonitor the degradation, should there be active issues with theremaining bandwidth of communication links 116, 124.

The computing system 154 is configured to receive and display datanecessary to manage network capacity of network services duringmaintenance. For example, a graphical user interface can be provided todisplay to a user the topology (e.g., communication links 108, 116, 124)of the transmission network 102, to allow the user to select acommunication link (e.g., communication links 108) to be taken offlinefor maintenance and to provide date/time of such maintenance.

The network alarm system 156 is configured to monitor the transmissionnetwork 102 and further configured to generate network alarms thatindicate failure of communication link 108, 116, 124 associated with thetransmission of telecommunication content over transmission network 102.More specifically, the network alarm system 156 includes a link failuredetection and alarm device 158 and an alarm transmission device 160. Thelink failure detection and alarm module 158 is configured to monitor thenetwork elements 110, 112, 118-122, 126-132 and the communication links108, 116, 122 of the transmission network 102 and further configured togenerate a network alarm that indicates failure of the availability ofany communication link 108, 116, 122 for the transmission oftelecommunication content via the transmission network 102. The alarmtransmission device 160 is configured to transmit the alarm generated bythe link failure detection and alarm device 158 to network fault datacollector 144 of the real-time system 142.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 200 of managingnetwork capacity adaptively to mitigate degradation of network servicesduring maintenance of the transmission network 102 in accordance withthe adaptive system 100 of FIG. 1. The method 200 starts at operation202 in which the adaptive system 100 operates in a first operationalstate, as shown in FIG. 1. For example, telecommunication content isbeing transmitted via communication link 108 between endpoints 104, 106.

At operation 204, an input associated with a communication link to betaken offline is received. For example, the real-time system 142 canreceive, via the computing system 154, an indication of a communicationlink 108 to be taken offline for maintenance (e.g., network element 110,link segment 114, and/or other elements or segments of the communicationlink 108) and a date/time for such offline maintenance. At operation206, the inputted communication link is transmitted to a simulationsystem to simulate the impact of taking the imputed communication linkoffline on one or more alternate communication links of the transmissionnetwork 102. For example, the real-time system 142 can transmit theinputted communication link 108 to the simulation system 134. Thesimulation system 134 then simulates the impact of taking the inputtedcommunication link 108 offline on the alternate communication links 116,124 of the transmission network 102 interconnecting endpoints 104, 106.

At operation 208, simulation data indicating the impact to the alternatecommunication links is received. For example, the real-time system 142receives simulation data from the simulation system 134 indicating theimpact of taking communication link 108 offline on communication links116, 124. At operation 210, a determination is made whether simulationdata of at least one alternate communication link satisfies at least onepredetermined criterion. For example, the real-time outage update device148 can determine whether simulation data of at least one alternatecommunication link 116, 124 satisfies at least one predeterminedcriterion, such as for example, whether the aggregate bandwidth isgreater than a predetermined bandwidth threshold, or aggregate latencyis lower than a predetermined latency threshold, or another metricsatisfies another a predetermined criterion.

If at operation 210 it is determined that simulation data of at leastone alternate communication link satisfies at least one predeterminedcriterion, then method 200 continues at operation 212. At operation 212,a determination is made whether an interval between a current date/timeand date/time for taking the communication link offline is greater thana first time period. For example, the real-time outage update device 148can determine whether the interval is greater than a week.

If it is determined that the interval is greater than the first timeperiod at operation 212, the method 200 continues at operation 214 wherereal-time data associated with the alternate communication links iscollected according to a first periodicity. For example, collection ofreal-time data can be performed weekly and can include the network faultdata collector device 144 collecting fault data and the networkperformance determination device 146 determining performance data of thealternate communication links 116, 124.

At operation 216, the collected real-time data and the communicationlink to be taken offline are transmitted to the simulation system. Forexample, in one embodiment, the real-time outage update device 148 cantransmit the collected real-time data and the communication link 108 tobe taken offline to the simulation system 134, instructing thesimulation system 134 to simulate impact by accounting for the real-timedata for communication links 116, 124. In another embodiment, thereal-time outage update device 148 can update the metrics of thesimulation system 134 based on the real-time data and can furtherrequest the simulation system 134 to simulate the impact of takingcommunication link 108 offline on the alternate communication links 116,124 according to the updated metrics. Thereafter, the method continuesat operation 208 to receive the re-evaluated simulation data.

If it is determined that the interval is not greater than the firstperiod of time at operation 212, the method 200 continues at operation218 where a determination is made whether the interval for taking thecommunication link offline is within a second time period. For example,the real-time outage update device 148 can determine whether theinterval is greater than a day but less than or equal to a week. If itis determined that the interval is within the second time period atoperation 218, the method 200 continues at operation 220 where real-timedata associated with the alternate communication links is collectedaccording to a second periodicity. For example, collection of thereal-time data can be performed daily.

If it is determined that the interval is not within the second timeperiod at operation 218, the method 200 continues at operation 222 wherea determination is made whether the interval for taking thecommunication link offline is within a third time period. For example,the real-time outage update device 148 can determine whether theinterval is greater than an hour but less than or equal to a day. If itis determined that the interval is within the third time period atoperation 222, the method 200 continues at operation 224 where real-timedata associated with the alternate communication links is collectedaccording to a third periodicity. For example, collection of thereal-time data can be performed hourly.

If it is determined that the interval is not within the third timeperiod at operation 222, the method 200 continues at operation 226 wherea communication link is selected from the at least one alternatecommunication link that better satisfies the at least one criterion. Forexample, the real-time outage updated device 148 can selectcommunication link 116 from communication links 116, 124 if suchcommunication link satisfies the at least one criterion. At operation228, the transmission network is updated to take the inputtedcommunication link offline by moving the load of that communication linkto the selected communication link. For example, the route adjustmentdevice 150 can move the load of communication link 108 to communicationlink 116 via costing or other prioritization. Thereafter the method endsat operation 236.

Now referring back to operation 210, if it is determined that thesimulation data of at least one alternate communication link does notsatisfy at least one predetermined criterion, then method 200 continuesat operation 230 where at least one recommended action is provided. Forexample, the real-time outage updated device 148 can recommend to theuser via computing system 154 to raise an alarm, escalate or shortenseverity of an existing alarm of an alternate communication link vianetwork alarm system 156. Addition recommended actions can includeproviding additional staff or operations personnel at computing system154. At operation 232, a selection of a recommended action is received.For example, the real-time update device 148 can receive a selectionfrom the user via the computing system 154. At operation 234, thereceived selection is transmitted to a network alarm system. Forexample, the real-time update device 148 transits the selectedrecommended action to the network alarm system 156, which raises analarm, escalates or shortens severity of an existing alarm.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a general computer system 300. The computersystem 300 can include a set of instructions that can be executed tocause the computer system 300 to perform any one or more of the methodsor computer based functions disclosed herein with respect to FIGS. 1-2.The computer system 300 or any portion thereof, may operate as astandalone device or may be connected, e.g., using a network 324, toother computer systems or devices disclosed herein with respect to FIGS.1-2. For example, the computer system 300 can include or be includedwithin any one or more of the systems, computers, network elements,endpoints, or any other devices disclosed herein with respect to FIGS.1-2.

In a networked deployment, the computer system 300 may operate in thecapacity of a server or a client machine in a server-client networkenvironment, or a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. The computer system 300 can also be implemented asor incorporated into various devices, such as a personal computer (PC),a tablet PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a web appliance, acommunications device, a mobile device, a wireless telephone, a controlsystem, a network router, switch or bridge, a portal, a database system,an endpoint, or any other machine capable of executing a set ofinstructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be takenby that machine. Further, while a single computer system 300 isillustrated, the term “system” shall also be taken to include anycollection of systems or sub-systems that individually or jointlyexecute a set, or multiple sets, of instructions to perform one or morecomputer functions.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the computer system 300 may include aprocessor 402, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), agraphics-processing unit (GPU), or both. Moreover, the computer system300 can include a main memory 404 and a static memory 406 that cancommunicate with each other via a bus 326. As shown, the computer system400 may further include a video display unit 310, such as a liquidcrystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flatpanel display, a solid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT).Additionally, the computer system 300 may include an input device 312,such as a keyboard, and a cursor control device 314, such as a mouse.The computer system 300 can also include a disk drive unit 316, a signalgeneration device 322, such as a speaker or remote control, and anetwork interface device 308.

In a particular embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 3, the disk drive unit316 may include a machine or computer-readable medium 318 in which oneor more sets of instructions 320 (e.g., software) can be embedded.Further, the instructions 320 may embody one or more of the methods orlogic as described herein with reference to FIGS. 1-2. In a particularembodiment, the instructions 320 may reside completely, or at leastpartially, within the main memory 304, the static memory 306, and/orwithin the processor 302 during execution by the computer system 300.The main memory 304 and the processor 302 also may includecomputer-readable media.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations, suchas application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arraysand other hardware devices, can be constructed to implement one or moreof the methods described herein. Applications that may include theapparatus and systems of various embodiments can broadly include avariety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodimentsdescribed herein may implement functions using two or more specificinterconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and datasignals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or asportions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, thepresent system encompasses software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with the various embodiments, the methods described hereinmay be implemented by software programs that are tangibly embodied in aprocessor-readable medium and that may be executed by a processor.Further, in an example, non-limited embodiment, implementations caninclude distributed processing, component/object distributed processing,and parallel processing. Alternatively, virtual computer systemprocessing can be constructed to implement one or more of the methods orfunctionality as described herein.

While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single medium, theterm “computer-readable medium” includes a single medium or multiplemedia, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associatedcaches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also include any medium that is capableof storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution bya processor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or moreof the methods or operations disclosed herein.

In a particular non-limiting, example embodiment, the computer-readablemedium can include a solid-state memory such as a memory card or otherpackage that houses one or more non-volatile read-only memories.Further, the computer-readable medium can be a random access memory orother volatile re-writable memory. Additionally, the computer-readablemedium can include a magneto-optical or optical medium, such as a diskor tapes or other storage device to capture carrier wave signals such asa signal communicated over a transmission medium. A digital fileattachment to an e-mail or other self-contained information archive orset of archives may be considered a distribution medium that isequivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the disclosure isconsidered to include any one or more of a computer-readable medium or adistribution medium and other equivalents and successor media, in whichdata or instructions may be stored.

In accordance with various embodiments, the methods described herein maybe implemented as one or more software programs running on a computerprocessor. Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limitedto, application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arraysand other hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Furthermore, alternative softwareimplementations including, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

It should also be noted that software which implements the disclosedmethods may optionally be stored on a tangible storage medium, such as:a magnetic medium, such as a disk or tape; a magneto-optical or opticalmedium, such as a disk; or a solid state medium, such as a memory cardor other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile)memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile)memories. A digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives is considered a distributionmedium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include a tangible storage medium ordistribution medium as listed herein, and other equivalents andsuccessor media, in which the software implementations herein may bestored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsthat may be implemented in particular embodiments with reference toparticular standards and protocols, the invention is not limited to suchstandards and protocols. For example, standards for Internet and otherpacket switched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP)represent examples of the state of the art. Such standards areperiodically superseded by faster or more efficient equivalents havingessentially the same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards andprotocols having the same or similar functions as those disclosed hereinare considered equivalents thereof.

Thus, a system and method of managing network capacity in order tomitigate degradation of network services during maintenance have beendescribed. Although specific example embodiments have been described, itwill be evident that various modifications and changes may be made tothese embodiments without departing from the broader scope of theinvention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to beregarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. Theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof, show by way ofillustration, and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which thesubject matter may be practiced. The embodiments illustrated aredescribed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art topractice the teachings disclosed herein. Other embodiments may beutilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and logicalsubstitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scopeof this disclosure. This Detailed Description, therefore, is not to betaken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments isdefined only by the appended claims, along with the full range ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b) and willallow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature and gist of thetechnical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that itwill not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims.

In the foregoing description of the embodiments, various features aregrouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamliningthe disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting that the claimed embodiments have more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Description of the Embodiments, with each claimstanding on its own as a separate example embodiment.

1. A method of adaptively managing network capacity, the methodcomprising: receiving simulation data from a simulation system based atleast one metric associated with each of a plurality of communicationlinks interconnecting at least two endpoints, the simulation dataindicating impact of a communication link to be taken offline on aplurality of alternate communication links; determining whether thesimulation data associated with at least one communication linksatisfies at least one predetermined criterion; periodically updatingthe at least one metric of the simulation system based on real-time dataassociated with each of the plurality of communication links; receivingsimulation data from the simulation system based on the updated at leastone metric, the simulation data indicating impact of the communicationlink to be taken offline on the alternate communication links; andselectively moving load from the communication link to be taken offlineto an alternate communication link based on whether the simulation dataassociated with the alternate communication link satisfies the at leastone predetermined criterion.
 2. The method of adaptively managingnetwork capacity according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving anindication of the communication link to be taken offline from a user. 3.The method of adaptively managing network capacity according to claim 2,further comprising: transmitting the received indication of thecommunication link to simulation system; and requesting the simulationsystem to generate the simulation data based the at least one metricassociated with each the plurality of communication linksinterconnecting the endpoints.
 4. The method of adaptively managingnetwork capacity according to claim 1, further comprising: periodicallycollecting real-time data associated with the plurality of communicationlinks.
 5. The method of adaptively managing network capacity accordingto claim 4, wherein periodically collecting real-time data associatedwith the plurality of communication links further comprises: collectingnetwork fault data associated with the plurality of communication links;and determining performance data associated with the plurality ofcommunication links.
 6. The method of adaptively managing networkcapacity according to claim 1, further comprising periodicallyrequesting the simulation system to generate the simulation data basedon the updated at least one metric.
 7. The method of adaptively managingnetwork capacity according to claim 6, wherein periodically requestingthe simulation system to generate the simulation data based on theupdated at least one metric is performed according to a periodicitybased on an interval of time between a current date/time and a date/timeof when the communication link is to be taken offline.
 8. A system toadaptively manage network capacity, the system comprising: a real-timeoutage update device configured to: receive simulation data from asimulation system based at least one metric associated with each of aplurality of communication links interconnecting at least two endpoints,the simulation data indicating impact of a communication link to betaken offline a plurality of alternate communication links; determinewhether the simulation data associated with at least one communicationlink satisfies at least one predetermined criterion; periodically updatethe at least one metric of the simulation system based on real-time dataassociated with the plurality of communication links; and receivesimulation data from the simulation system based on the updated at leastone metric, the simulation data indicating impact of the communicationlink to be taken offline on the alternate communication links; and aroute adjustment device is configured to selectively move load from thecommunication link to be taken offline to an alternate communicationlink based on whether the simulation data associated with the alternatecommunication link satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion.9. The system to adaptively manage network capacity according to claim8, further comprising a computing device configured to receive anindication of the communication link to be taken offline from a user.10. The system to adaptively manage network capacity according to claim9, wherein the real-time outage update device is further configured to:transmit the received indication of the communication link to simulationsystem; and request the simulation system to generate the simulationdata based the at least metric associated with each of the plurality ofcommunication links interconnecting the endpoints.
 11. The system toadaptively manage network capacity according to claim 8, furthercomprising: a network fault data collector device configured to collectnetwork fault data associated with the plurality of communication links;and a network performance determination device configured to determineperformance data associated with the plurality of communication links.12. The system to adaptively manage network capacity according to claim8, wherein the real-time outage update device is further configured to:periodically request the simulation system to generate the simulationdata based on the updated at least one metric.
 13. The system toadaptively manage network capacity according to claim 12, wherein aperiodic request is performed according to a periodicity based on aninterval of time between a current date/time and a date/time of when thecommunication is link to be taken offline.
 14. A machine-readablestorage medium comprising operational instructions that, when executedby a processor, cause the processor to: receive simulation data from asimulation system based on at least one metric associated with each of aplurality of communication links interconnecting at least two endpoints,the simulation data indicating impact of a communication link to betaken offline on a plurality of alternate communication links; determinewhether the simulation data associated with at least one communicationlink satisfies at least one predetermined criterion; periodically updatethe at least one metric of the simulation system based on real-time dataassociated with the plurality of communication links; receive simulationdata from the simulation system based on the updated at least one moremetric, the simulation data indicating impact of the communication linkto be taken offline on the alternate communication links; andselectively move load from the communication link to be taken offline toan alternate communication link based on whether the simulation dataassociated with the alternate communication link satisfies the at leastone predetermined criterion.
 15. A machine-readable storage mediumaccording to claim 14, further comprising operational instructions that,when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive anindication of the communication link to be taken offline from a user.16. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 15, furthercomprising operational instructions that, when executed by a processor,cause the processor to: transmit the received indication of thecommunication link to simulation system; and request the simulationsystem to generate the simulation data based the at least one metricassociated with each of the plurality of communication linksinterconnecting the endpoints.
 17. The machine-readable storage mediumaccording to claim 14, further comprising operational instructions that,when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: periodicallycollect real-time data associated with the plurality of communicationlinks.
 18. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 17,wherein operational instructions to periodically collect real-time dataassociated with the plurality of communication links further includeoperational instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause theprocessor to: collect network fault data associated with the pluralityof communication links; and determine performance data associated withthe plurality of communication links.
 20. The machine-readable storagemedium according to claim 19, further comprising operationalinstructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:periodically request the simulation system to generate the simulationdata based on the updated at least one metric.
 21. The machine-readablestorage medium according to claim 20, wherein operational instructionsto periodically request the simulation system to generate the simulationdata based on the updated at least one metric are performed according toa periodicity based on an interval of time between a current date/timeand a date/time of when the communication link is to be taken offline.